Russian Prayer Meeting ~ Memorizing, Part 2.5

One summer at Bible camp, when I was a teenager, we had a Russian prayer meeting.  During an all-camp meeting, a messenger rushed in and quietly told us that the secret police were coming.

We all left in groups of twos and threes, headed for our cabins.  Once each cabin group arrived in their cabin, the curtains were closed, the doors were barricaded, and we sat on the floor.

In hushed voices, our leaders encouraged us each to call out whisper Bible verses we had memorized.  The premise was that none of us had a complete copy of God's Word, but we each were very familiar with the small portion we had.  This was our opportunity to share God's Word with others, and to learn fresh parts of His Word from others. 

Periodically someone would start quietly singing a hymn.  If the others didn't know it, we tried to learn it.  And then we prayed for the persecuted church.

We left our "Russian prayer meeting" still unable to empathize with our Russian brothers and sisters, but much more aware of what life, especially their corporate life of faith, might look like for them, and much more appreciative of the freedoms we take for granted, as we express our faith in this culture.

We also left our "Russian prayer meeting" woefully aware of how little of God's Word is hidden in our hearts.